Cleric loosing spells due to an encounter

[Anditch]

I am a 9th level cleric. When i designed the character I decided to pray as soon as I awoke everyday. One night we were attacked on the 2nd of three watches. Which now means at say 2am game time we finally get back to sleep. I am now told as there is not enough time. Less than 8 hours. I wont gain any of the spells that I cast the night before and would have to wait a full 24 hours to gain them. Is this correct or is it a little harsh. Do you have to give a definite time to pray each day or can it slide a little on character build.

 

[milo]

I would think that you would be able to prepare spells, just not the ones used in the late night encounter(any spells/slots cast in the last 8 hours cannot be prepared).

From page 220 of the Pathfinder Rulebook

"Time of Day: A divine spellcaster chooses and prepares spells ahead of time, but unlike a wizard, does not require a period of rest to prepare spells. Instead, the character chooses a particular time of day to pray and receive spells. The time is usually associated with some daily event. If some event prevents a character from praying at the proper time, she must do so as soon as possible. If the character does not stop to pray for spells at the first opportunity, she must wait until the next day to prepare spells."

As soon as you wake up you have to prepare spells, otherwise you can't prepare spells for the day.

 

[Rampant]

Well that depends on how you define first opportunity. It looks like if you get any of your spell slots back you get all of them.

 

[tylermalan]

If you get "some" spell slots back, you get them "all" back. Divine spellcasters do NOT need 8 hours of rest before preparing their spells. They merely need to pray at the specified time or at the first opportunity if they miss that time. In a game that I ran, "first opportunity" would be defined as the first moment during which your survival or the survival of your friends is not in question and, as such, there are no other pressing matters to which you must attend.

 

[frankthedm]

If you get "some" spell slots back, you get them "all" back.

No he does not get them ALL back. He either chooses to prepare them on time or as close to that time as possible which means he cast some spells less than 8 hours ago, or he chooses to wait the 8 hours and loses the opportunity to prepare any spells at all.

Divine Spells > Preparing Divine Spells
Recent Casting Limit: As with arcane spells, at the time of preparation any spells cast within the previous 8 hours count against the number of spells that can be prepared.

It is vital to find out a cleric's Prayer time when fighting against them. By sending wave after wave of your own men after a cleric close to their preparation time, you can cause a very useful drain on their resources.

 

[Anditch]

Clerics needing 8 hours

Its a crazy rule. I am the only Cleric, So we wait a full 24 hours so that the party has healing. We then get another random encounter and the same happens again. so 48 hours later we are moving. It slows the game down and effects everyone. No need for it. its a 9 hour penalty. 8 for rest 1 for praying. Clerics dont get great skill points. Dont get loads of feats. rely on spells and this happens. Fingers crossed 5th Edit clears this up

 

[DragonLancer]

If healing is the issue get the party to dob in gold for a few wands or scrolls of Cure X. Save your actual spells and use the wands/scrolls.

 

[N'raac]

Its a crazy rule. I am the only Cleric, So we wait a full 24 hours so that the party has healing. We then get another random encounter and the same happens again. so 48 hours later we are moving. It slows the game down and effects everyone. No need for it. its a 9 hour penalty. 8 for rest 1 for praying. Clerics dont get great skill points. Dont get loads of feats. rely on spells and this happens. Fingers crossed 5th Edit clears this up

I don't find it a "crazy rule". I'd note it doesn't apply to the Cleric alone - any spells used by any other spellcaster in the encounter will also be gone for the next day. Wizards and Sorcerors dont get great skill points. Dont get loads of feats. rely on spells - and the same rule applies to them.

Let's look at some alternate scenarios:

(a) The party decides to rest. During the rest period, they are attacked. After the attack, the cleric uses some spells. The party completes the rest period, and the cleric prepares his spells. He is missing the spells used during the rest period.

(b) The party decides to rest. The party completes the rest period without incident, and the cleric prepares his spells. Immediately after the rest period, they are attacked. After the attack, the cleric uses some spells. He is missing the spells used.

How does one scenario disadvantage the group more than the other? I would assert that it seems arbitrary that an attack five minutes after the Cleric's prayer time resulting in loss of spells for the day when an attack 10 minutes earlier would seem like a "crazy rule" to me.

There is no requirement that the party commence travels with their resources 100% available to them. So you're down a few spells? You move out down a few spells and life goes on. Would you insist on resting after the first encounter of the day because you're now down some spells, or do you move on? In my games, the party doesn't typically have the luxury of a 15 minute work day followed by a rest period so they can be at 100% for the next encounter.

Or you delay until you can move out with 100% of your resources available, and you'll have to deal with whatever additional preparations your 48 hour delay allowed your adversaries to undertake. Maybe:

- you don't arrive shortly before they complete the ritual to Summon a powerful Demon - it was summoned almost two days ago, and is ready and waiting for you.

- after your first foray, they have now had two extra days to heal, plan, fortify their base/home and lay traps for your party.

- maybe they used the same rest period to rest and regroup, then, when nothing showed up early the next day, sent war parties out tracking down those invaders. Since they now know where you are holed up, the war party launches the occasional diversionary attack (the encounters the first and second night) while the runner they sent back gathers all their forces to attack, well planned and en masse, early on the third day.

Better yet, perhaps you just picked a room in the enemies' lair to rest up in because "we're low on spells and hit points, so we have to rest". A friend of mine some years ago responded to complaints of the "unfairness" that they were attacked during such a rest period with "Seriously? This surprises you? This is basically the same as breaking into someone's house, then getting tired so you take a nap on his couch. What the ^@*# did you THINK was likely to happen?"

The clock doesn't stop running while the PC's finish their "time out".